The Policy Institute Podcast

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
This June marks a decade since the people of the UK cast their votes in the EU referendum.
From the referendum to the result to the reset and now to talk of rejoin, UK in a Changing Europe, the Policy Institute at King’s College London and Ipsos have meticulously followed Brexit, what the public make of it, and its impact on the UK as it has – and continues to – evolve. 10 years on, it's time to take stock of it all.
Ahead of the anniversary of the vote, we are bringing together some UK in a Changing Europe regulars alongside leading polling experts to reflect on Brexit's impact on the UK public and the nation's politics over the past decade and explore how the UK-EU relationship could develop in future.
Join us as we mark one of the most decisive and divisive moments in recent British political history and ask, aided by some new and exclusive polling with Ipsos, what's next for UK-EU relations.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
Internationally renowned techno-sociologist and New York Times columnist Dr Zeynep Tufekci, Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University, will deliver the 2026 Fulbright Distinguished Lecture, Are We Having the Wrong Nightmares about AI?
The event is hosted in collaboration with the Fulbright Commission, King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and the Policy Institute, and is supported by the Lois Roth Foundation and the Fulbright Association.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
In an age flooded with misinformation and contested truths, the role of evidence couldn’t be more important in showing what actually works.
But how did we come to use evidence, and why are some people rejecting it today? This event will discuss the ‘evidence revolution’ - the global movement that promotes the idea that scientific evidence should guide our decisions rather than unreliable opinions or beliefs – and the many challenges it faces.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
In 2024, two billion people went to the polls, with populist movements making significant gains across many Western democracies. From the return of President Donald Trump in the United States, to the surge of Marine Le Pen in France, to the electoral breakthroughs of Reform UK, established political systems are now facing mounting pressure.
As voters across the UK prepare to head to the polls, these trends feel increasingly close to home. Is this peak populism or populism’s tipping point? Disillusionment with traditional parties has grown alongside a new information environment that rewards outrage and erodes trust – in institutions, in expertise, and in the idea that the system still delivers for ordinary people.
So how did we end up here? Is Viktor Orban’s defeat the beginning of the turning of the tide? What does research tell us about who is turning to populist movements, and why? And what might this shift mean for the future of democratic governance, policymaking and public services?
Join our panel ahead of the vote to discuss these questions and more.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
 
Higher education in Europe is at a crossroads. Across the continent, and not just in the UK, long-established university systems are being reshaped by widening participation, demographic change and intensifying global competition. Institutions that were once small, elite and nationally focused must now navigate complex financial, political and societal pressures – raising fundamental questions about their future direction.
 
Join us as we explore where European higher education is heading. The discussion will draw on a new essay collection from the Policy Institute, with contributions and insights from senior academics in the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. It will highlight key trends across Europe – from funding and governance to the role of domestic politics in shaping higher education policies – and offer timely insights into the choices facing the sector, its future sustainability, and its global standing.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
Policy Idol is an annual competition open to all current students at King’s, in which participants pitch their policy ideas to an elite panel of leading figures from the worlds of politics, academia and industry.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
The Attlee Foundation, in partnership with The Strand Group of King’s College London host the 2026 Attlee Foundation Lecture, was delivered by Sir John Major on Wednesday 18 March 2026.

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
 
Could giving people cash directly, with few or no strings attached, be a better way to tackle poverty?
Cash transfers are increasingly debated as a simpler and more efficient approach – one that restores dignity and agency to recipients while supporting better life outcomes. But how effective are they in practice, and what role could they play in UK policy?
This online event, hosted with the Centre for Homelessness Impact (CHI), will explore what the evidence says about cash transfers, as well as revealing findings from a pioneering new trial, carried out by the Experimental Government Team at the Policy Institute and supported by CHI, which examines the effects of an unconditional £2,000 cash transfer to young people leaving care.
Our panel will discuss how cash transfers compare to more traditional interventions; what the evidence shows on wellbeing, health and stability; and what the implications are for policymakers and local authorities considering cash-based approaches to social problems.
Speakers
Professor Michael Sanders, Director, Experimental Government Team at the Policy Institute
Dr Lígia Teixeira, Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Homelessness Impact
Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute (chair)

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
 
Child homelessness in the UK has reached crisis point. The latest official figures reveal a record 172,420 homeless children in England are now living in temporary accommodation – more than the entire population of Oxford. Many are growing up in unsafe, unstable environments, cut off from their schools, GPs, and communities. The crisis is deepening – but what will it take to change course?
 
Speakers:
Kwajo Tweneboa, campaigner, activist, and author of Our Country in Crisis
Dan Hewitt, ITV News Investigations Editor
Professor Katherine Brickell, Professor of Urban Studies at King’s College London and author of Debt Trap Nation: Family Homelessness in a Failing State
Karen Torres, Advocacy, Research and Campaigns Manager, Indoamerican Refugee and Migrant Organisation Professor
Michael Sanders, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the School for Government at King’s College London (Chair)

Subscribe to the Policy Institute mailing list for invites to future events
 
The UK has seemed relatively immune to the full-blown culture wars that we’ve seen in the US: our data from the World Values Survey and a series of joint studies with Ipsos suggested that, despite the political and media rhetoric, we still quite liked each other and saw through efforts to divide us.
 
But has that shifted?
 
The latest findings from our work with Ipsos reveal perceptions of division in the UK have reached their highest point since trends began in 2020, while the share of the public who believe the nation is divided by culture wars specifically has risen from 46% to 67% during this period.
 
At the same time, the country has become increasingly nostalgic for the past and uneasy about the pace of cultural change, with tensions rising around immigration and national identity – providing a lot of the conditions for a more populist turn.
 
What does the data tell us about the nature and scale of division today? To what extent are political leaders and the media environment driving cultural tensions? What role do foreign actors have in encouraging division, and how is national cohesion connected to national security? And fundamentally, is the UK following America's path to a proper culture war – or is there still time to chart a different course?
 
Speakers:
The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
John Burn-Murdoch, Chief Data Reporter at the Financial Times
Dr Kate Ferguson, Co-Executive Director of Protection Approaches
Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos
Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London (chair)